June 27

"The Lord hath sent strength for thee." (Psa. 68.28, P.B.V.)

The Lord imparts unto us that primary strength of character which makes everything in life work with intensity¹ and decision. We are "strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man." And the strength is continuous; reserves of power come to us which we cannot exhaust.

"As thy days, so shall thy strength be"--strength of will, strength of affection, strength of judgment², strength of ideals and achievement.

"The Lord is my strength" to go on. He gives us power to tread the dead level, to walk the long lane that seems never to have a turning, to go through those long reaches of life which afford no pleasant surprise, and which depress the spirits in the sameness of a terrible drudgery³.

"The Lord is my strength" to go up. He is to me the power by which I can climb the Hill Difficulty and not be afraid.

"The Lord is my strength" to go down. It is when we leave the bracing⁴ heights, where the wind and the sun have been about us, and when we begin to come down the hill into closer and more sultry spheres, that the heart is apt to grow faint.

I heard a man say the other day concerning his growing physical frailty⁵, "It is the coming down that tires me!"

"The Lord is my strength" to sit still. And how difficult is the attainment⁶! Do we not often say to one another, in seasons when we are compelled to be quiet, "If only I could do something!"

When the child is ill, and the mother stands by in comparative impotence, how severe is the test! But to do nothing, just to sit still and wait, requires tremendous strength. "The Lord is my strength!" "Our sufficiency is of God." --The Silver Lining⁷.

　 六月二十七日

“以色列的能力，是神所赐的”(诗六十八：28) 。

　　神给我们的力量原是丰丰富富的，总叫我们无论在工作上，生活上，都有够用的能力和决心去应付。以弗所书三章十六节说：“…藉着他的灵，叫你们心里的力量刚强起来”。所以我们看见：我们的力量后面，乃是圣灵；我们的力量是从来不会止息的，因为我们后面的贮藏是取不竭，用不尽的。哈利路亚！

　“你的日子如何，你的力量也必如何”(申三十三：25)。这里所说的力量，包括意志的力量，爱的力量，判断的力量，理想与成功的力量。

　　“耶和华是我的力量” ——前进的力量。他给我力量践踏死亡的平地，行走永不转弯的长巷，忍受长期苦闷的单调生活。

　　“耶和华是我的力量” ——往上的力量。他是我攀登艰难的力量。有了他，我攀登的时候，一点惧怕也没有。

　　“耶和华是我的力量” ——往下的力量。当我们离开凉风习习的山顶，开始下到沉闷酷热的地区去的时候，我们的心最容易沮丧。所以当我们往下走的时候，我们更需要神的力量。有一位身体日趋孱弱的人，曾经说：“每况愈下，最使人难于支持”。

　　“耶和华是我的力量” ——静止的力量。不要想静止是一件容易的事！当我们不得不安静的时候，常会对人说：“让我作点事，多好呢”！

当一个孩子病得非常沉重的时候，作母亲的无能为力地站在旁边，这是多么难堪的一回事！一点也不能作什么；只能静静地守着，望着，等着，等着；这种时候，我们就需要神给我们静止的力量。感谢主！“我所能承担的，乃是出于神”。（林后三：5）。——译自银衬

1 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

2 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

3 drudgery   

n.苦工，重活，单调乏味的工作

参考例句：

• People want to get away from the drudgery of their everyday lives.人们想摆脱日常生活中单调乏味的工作。
• He spent his life in pointlessly tiresome drudgery.他的一生都在做毫无意义的烦人的苦差事。

4 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

5 frailty   

n.脆弱；意志薄弱

参考例句：

• Despite increasing physical frailty,he continued to write stories.尽管身体越来越虛弱，他仍然继续写小说。
• He paused and suddenly all the frailty and fatigue showed.他顿住了，虚弱与疲惫一下子显露出来。

6 attainment   

n.达到，到达；［常pl.］成就，造诣

参考例句：

• We congratulated her upon her attainment to so great an age.我们祝贺她高寿。
• The attainment of the success is not easy.成功的取得并不容易。

7 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。